This day-long conference offers an opportunity to dive deep into market trends, share best practices and explore innovative marketing solutions that are specific to the needs and challenges faced by professionals today in the fast-paced technology-enabled world.

The digital age has changed the way we communicate, as well as the way we shop for products and services. Retailers are increasing technology investments to meet and stay ahead of the evolving customer demands. Technology has become an integral part of doing business, both inside and outside the stores.

The retail sector, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, includes a wide range of goods, from grocery and apparel to automotive and electronics. In recent years, annual U.S. retail sales have accounted for approximately 20-30% of the country's total economic activity, approximately $6 trillion to $7 trillion.This includes both in-store and online sales, with e-commerce making up about 15% of retail sales (a figure that has been steadily growing). This proportion underscores the retail sector’s importance to the overall economy, as it directly reflects consumer spending, which is a primary driver of U.S. economic growth.

The conference will have several keynote speeches from accomplished practitioners and academics. There will be round table discussions on such topics as the current and future state  of artificial intelligence and machine learning in retail; personalization and experiential retail; and social media and commerce marketing.

Speakers from the following companies will be present with more being added:

$200 includes meals, presentations and networking reception.

The nearest airport to the University at Buffalo is the Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF), located eight miles from campus, followed by the Niagara Falls International Airport (IAG), located 14 miles from campus. Uber, Lyft or taxi services are the best way to get to and from the airport.